An ordinance to rename Sorrel Community Park was met with unexpected opposition at Wednesday’s St. Mary Parish Council meeting. 

The ordinance was introduced by Councilman Craig Mathews, and would have renamed it to Laddy Jean Butlers Sorrel Community Park had it passed. 

Several members of the Sorrel community spoke to the council about the renaming of the park, deeming it unfair to other members of the community who had put their time and effort into improving the space. 

“I’m not here to diminish anything that Ms. Laddy accomplished,” Cynthia Gabriel said. “But if you’re talking about individuals who made an impact, there’s a lot of individuals you can choose from.”

One of the other names floated was Dorothy Gabriel, who was secretary when the advisory committee for the park was formed in the early 2000s and helped with the paperwork to secure the park equipment. Another was the pastor who originally donated the land so the park could open in the first place. 

Mathews said the opposition to the park was unexpected, and he was open to having a community meeting to settle the debate. 

Another option floated was to have a plaque naming all the people who contributed to the park. 

“This was not done to slight anyone else,” Mathews said. “If someone had recommended a similar option to renaming the park, I probably would have reacted the same way. Nobody was recommended to me.”

“I did receive calls from members of the community who have observed the passion and work Ms. Laddy approached community service.”

The ordinance was tabled to an unknown date as the community continues discussions on how to approach the park naming.